Today Josh Jewell-Horton takes us into the story of a woman on the margins, carrying a complicated past, who meets Jesus in the middle of an ordinary afternoon and ends up with a whole new life. Jesus doesn't offer her a lecture, a list of rules, or easy answers; He meets every single one of her defenses with something of Himself.

CHAPTERS

[00:00] - Welcome & Summer Slowdown

[02:02] - The Surfboard Story

[04:51] - Into the Text

[06:00] - Jews & Samaritans

[07:38] - Woman Arrives at the Well

[10:27] - Borders to Asking

[12:18] - Borders to Receiving

[15:36] - How Jesus Meets Every Border

[17:38] - Mustard Seed Faith

[19:42] - She Runs to Her Village

[22:07] - The River Overflows

[23:40] - Closing Prayer

REFERENCES

[04:51] - John 4:1-42 — Woman at the Well (main text) — https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+4%3A1-42&version=NIV

[07:38] - John 3 — Nicodemus (contrasted with the Samaritan woman) — https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+3&version=NIV

[16:48] - Andy Squyres, "Death Defying Joy" — https://www.shazam.com/song/1791330060/death-defying-joy

[17:38] - Frederick Dale Bruner, The Gospel of John: A Commentary (Eerdmans, 2012) — https://www.amazon.com/Gospel-John-Frederick-Dale-Bruner/dp/0802866352

In this week's message from NCC's Summer Slowdown series, Rachel Palmbush takes us into Psalm 73, where a psalmist mired in envy and comparison finds his heart completely reoriented by one simple act: entering the sanctuary of God.

CHAPTERS

[00:00] - Move Your Seat

[03:46] - Highlander vs. Lowlander

[06:47] - Geography Shapes the Soul

[09:49] - Biblical Relocation Stories

[11:19] - Scripture Relocates Us

[12:55] - Enter Psalm 73

[15:48] - The Sanctuary Pivot

[17:34] - God Was Already There

[20:19] - The Art of Perspective

[21:24] - NCC Community Practices

[22:59] - Nearness Is Enough

[24:24] - Practical Steps This Summer

[29:31] - Come to the Table

REFERENCES

[12:55] - Psalm 73 (NIV)[15:16] - The Passion Translation[20:19] - Pointillism / Post-Impressionism — Georges Seurat (Britannica)[21:24] - Camino de Sonoma[21:36] - Mount Hermon Christian Camps & Retreats[21:57] - Camino de Santiago (Way of St. James)[22:07] - Jesuit Retreat Center of Los Altos

In this Summer Slowdown message, Joanna Bartel invites us to see delight not as a feeling we earn but as a practice we can step into in any season–even the hard ones.

CHAPTERS

[00:00] - Welcome & Introduction

[00:40] - What Is Delight?

[01:57] - Life Is Hard, But...

[03:39] - Delight as a Practice

[05:20] - Delighting in a Child

[07:40] - Setting Up John 21

[10:37] - Jesus on the Shore

[13:57] - Come and Have Breakfast

[16:16] - The Charcoal Fire

[18:24] - Grace Before Correction

[21:23] - Praise Completes the Delight

[22:42] - Fearfully & Wonderfully Made

[25:08] - Living from God's Delight

[26:49] - Behold, God Beholding You

REFERENCES

[01:25] - Merriam-Webster — definition of "delight"[02:50] - Inside Out (2015) — Pixar film about the complexity of emotions[03:44] - Dallas Willard — The Spirit of the Disciplines[07:40] - Young Life — Christian youth ministry for teenagers[08:51] - John 21 — Jesus appears to his disciples; breakfast on the shore (NIV)[11:41] - Luke 5:1-11 — Jesus' first miraculous catch of fish (NIV)[21:23] - C.S. Lewis — Reflections on the Psalms[23:07] - Genesis 1 — The creation story (NIV)[23:51] - Psalm 139 — "Fearfully and wonderfully made" (NIV)[26:49] - Ben Patterson — Campus pastor at Westmont College, author[26:49] - Westmont College — Christian liberal arts college, Santa Barbara

After completing a seminary capstone on technology and pilgrimage, Josh set out on a multi-day analog walk along the Camino de Sonoma. What he expected was transcendence. What he found was an anxiety attack and a truer version of himself than he'd bargained for. Jesus doesn't call the hurting to get it together; he blesses them, because it is in those places of hurt where the seeds of his kingdom have been sown.

CHAPTERS

[00:00] - Pilgrimage Begins

[03:20] - Series & Today's Theme

[06:52] - The Beatitudes Unpacked

[08:23] - Three Kinds of Hurt

[11:31] - Gospel, Not Advice

[12:55] - Day Two on the Trail

[17:05] - Christ in Our Pain

[18:55] - The Whole Point of Life

[20:58] - Our Role: Revelation

[23:32] - Jenny's Gift

[25:43] - The Invitation

[27:19] - William Blake's Poem

REFERENCES

[00:41] - Camino de Sonoma — 75-mile pilgrimage route through Sonoma County, CA (https://www.caminodesonoma.com/)[06:00] - Peter Kreeft — "Heaven" essay ("the whole world is only heaven's womb") (https://www.crossroadsinitiative.com/media/articles/heaven-peter-kreeft/)[17:42] - Marjorie Hewitt Suchocki — theologian, process theology (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marjorie_Hewitt_Suchocki)[18:55] - Henri Nouwen — Reaching Out: The Three Movements of the Spiritual Life (https://www.henrinouwen.org/books/reaching-out)[22:13] - Andy Squyres — Poet Priest, Vol. 2 (https://andysquyres.com/products/poet-priest-magazine-volume-2)[27:19] - William Blake — "On Another's Sorrow" (1789, Songs of Innocence) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Another%27s_Sorrow)

This week, Rachel’s sermon from our Summer Slowdown series makes a case that creativity isn't a talent reserved for a special few, but a core expression of what it means to be made in the image of a God who makes art. This message is an invitation to remember your truest identity: you are God's poema, and you were made to make beautiful things.

CHAPTERS

[00:00] - Welcome & Kids Ministry

[01:00] - The Story of Frederick

[03:43] - Series Intro: Summer Slowdown

[05:06] - Invitation to Doodle

[07:01] - Creativity Is for Everyone

[08:36] - In the Beginning, God Created

[11:01] - Humanity as Co-Creators

[12:49] - Recovering Our Wonder

[15:44] - Revelation's Colorful Vision

[18:45] - Becoming Like Children

[22:26] - We Are God's Handiwork

[25:23] - Practical Ways to Create

[29:04] - Closing Prayer

REFERENCES

[01:23] - Frederick by Leo Lionni[07:01] - Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art by Madeleine L'Engle[11:01] - Every Good Endeavor by Tim Keller[11:57] - A Million Little Ways by Emily P. Freeman[12:49] - G.K. Chesterton, The Autobiography of G.K. Chesterton[17:46] - The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)[18:13] - Reversed Thunder by Eugene Peterson[19:37] - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008 film)[23:59] - The Passion Translation (Bible)

What if play were a spiritual responsibility? In this week's message from the Summer Slowdown series, Josh Jewell-Horton makes the case that play is not a luxury for Christians but an act of deliberate rebellion against the empires of this world, and a bold anticipation of God's coming kingdom.

ncc.church

CHAPTERS

[00:00] - Welcome & Series Intro

[00:37] - Recap: Stop & Rest

[02:44] - Introducing Play

[04:29] - The Research on Play

[06:55] - Matthew 18: Who Is Greatest?

[09:34] - Two Marks of Childlikeness

[11:19] - Jesus as the Childlike One

[12:39] - Aslan's Resurrection Romp

[14:32] - Empire vs. Christ's Kingdom

[16:28] - Play as Participation in Creation

[18:14] - Play as Anticipatory Kingdom Living

[19:56] - Zechariah's Vision

[22:44] - Play Must Be Restorative

[25:04] - Morning Has Broken & Closing

REFERENCES

[03:36] - The God Who Plays — Brian Edgar[04:29] - Friedrich Schiller's Play Drive Theory — Wikipedia[05:00] - National Institute for Play[06:55] - Matthew 18:1–6 (NIV) — BibleGateway[09:34] - Unfettered — Mandy Smith[12:39] - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe — C.S. Lewis[16:28] - New Seeds of Contemplation — Thomas Merton[19:56] - Zechariah 8:4–8 (NIV) — BibleGateway[21:41] - Frederick Buechner on Playing and Religion — frederickbuechner.com[25:04] - Morning Has Broken — Eleanor Farjeon (Wikipedia)

Today, Dave Peterson explores the kind of inner rest that Jesus himself modeled: a spiritual sanctuary built within us through a living relationship with God, not by our own effort or willpower.

CHAPTERS

[00:00] - Welcome & Opening

[01:04] - Father's Day Reflection

[04:49] - California's Exhaustion Crisis

[08:17] - What Is Spiritual Rest?

[09:51] - Jesus in the Eye of the Storm

[12:13] - The Gift of Sabbath Rest

[14:22] - Christianity's Unique Anchor

[18:15] - Fear: The Enemy of Rest

[21:33] - Taking Every Thought Captive

[22:16] - Lord of the Rings Illustration

[24:52] - Suffering Builds the Sanctuary

[25:58] - A Friend's Fearless Journey

[29:43] - Closing Reflection

REFERENCES

[05:14] - National Exhaustion Index — Most Exhausted U.S. States (Juice Plus+)[05:53] - Most & Least Stressed States in 2026 — WalletHub[13:09] - Hebrews 4:9-11 — "There remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God" (BibleGateway)[17:49] - Psalm 91 — "Under the shadow of your wings" (BibleGateway)[20:07] - 1 John 4:16-18 — "Perfect love drives out fear" (BibleGateway)[21:03] - 2 Timothy 1:7 — "God has not given us a spirit of fear" (BibleGateway)[21:33] - 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 — "We take captive every thought" (BibleGateway)[22:16] - The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring — "You Shall Not Pass" scene (YouTube)[29:26] - Julian of Norwich — "All shall be well" from Revelations of Divine Love (Wikipedia)

In this opening message of NCC's Summer Slowdown series, Rachel takes us from David Foster Wallace's iconic "This Is Water" speech to the liberation story of Exodus, making the case that rest is an act of resistance and identity.

CHAPTERS

[00:00] - Welcome & Summer Intro

[02:08] - David Foster Wallace: "This Is Water"

[03:26] - Hurry Is The Water We Swim In

[06:09] - Introducing: Summer Slowdown Series

[07:19] - Sabbath Means "To Stop"

[08:15] - God Rested: Genesis 2

[09:24] - The French Revolution's Experiment

[12:39] - Brueggemann: God Isn't Anxious

[14:05] - The Fourth Commandment

[15:19] - Sabbath Tied to Slavery

[16:38] - The Brickmakers of Egypt

[18:30] - Sabbath as Truth-Telling

[20:25] - We Are More Than Brick Makers

[22:07] - A Personal Sabbath Story

[23:50] - Sabbath as Freedom

[25:23] - Unforced Rhythms of Grace

[26:30] - What Does Stopping Look Like?

[28:48] - Closing Prayer

REFERENCES

[02:08] - David Foster Wallace — "This Is Water," 2005 Kenyon College Commencement Address[12:39] - Walter Brueggemann — Sabbath as Resistance: Saying No to the Culture of Now[16:38] - The BEMA Podcast — Marty Solomon & Brent Billings[25:23] - The Message — Bible translation by Eugene Peterson[25:23] - John Mark Comer — The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry